It's just a matter of days till Samsung launches its 3G smart watch, the Gear S, with three top wireless carriers.
Mobile device consumers who may want just one smart device to handle smartphone and smart watch duties may be jumping with joy come Nov. 7 as the Samsung Gear S may be the device they've been longing for.
The Gear S smart watch is equipped with 4 GB of local storage space, a 1-GHz dual-core processor and 512 MB of RAM. With a battery capacity of 300 mAh, Samsung estimates a single charge is good for up to five hours of talk time.
The Gear S is a free spirit of sorts as it's able to field phone calls and text messages without having a cell phone nearby. That is, as long as the user has a Samsung smartphone on and connected to the Internet. If so, they can use the Gear S to take and make calls via the smart watch.
The Gear S skips out on Google's Android Wear platform and runs on Samsung's proprietary Tizen micro OS. The Tizen-based smart watch can exchange data with devices running on rival platforms, but wearers will have to rely on Samsung for apps that run on the Gear S locally.
The Gear S is a bit of a gamble for Samsung, as the best feature on the smart watch requires a Samsung smartphone. An LG or HTC user, for example, won't be able to field phone calls or text messages away from their smartphone, which will likely prompt many of them to hold out for something else.
The Gear S will make its debut at Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile on Nov. 7. A Verizon launch has yet to be announced.
Sprint customers can purchase the smart watch for $384 outright or pay for it in installments of $16 a month over 24 months.
T-Mobile is offering the Gear S at a slightly lower price than Sprint. T-Mobile customers can pick up the smart watch for $349 outright or pay $14.58 per month over 24 months.
AT&T is offering the smart watch for $199 with a two-year contract.
It's the second such "smartphone" smart watch to hit the market. Pop producer Will.i.am. recently revealed his company's Puls entry into the wearables market. It's a bit bulky, but it has some promise.
"Ours doesn't need a phone for it to function," said Will.i.am. "Why do you want to have a device that doesn't have a phone? The gym. I'm tired of having the friggin' music experience tangled with wires, and my device, and I have to figure out where to put my phone."
